I happened across this Oscar-winning yet totally unknown 1979 flick in the vaste wasteland of cable TV a month or so ago. It’s the Rocky of the now-popular fixie culture, the Chariots of Fire of Tour de France-types: a fun, serious, fascinating profile of a poor young American madly in love with all things involving two wheels and racing.

Trailer:

Classic Scene:

The fake Italian serenade:

Random scene, featuring (a young) Dennis Quaid:

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Annie Hussein Bodnar at 8:50am January 7
I was in my first year of college when this film came out and… oh I thought Dennis Christopher was so hot and gonna be a big star… dunno what happened… but it sure didn’t hurt Dennis Quaid or Daniel Stern.